This summer, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) convened a group of experts together to figure out how mHealth could be a driver for change in the U.S. health care system. In less than three months, the mHealth task force worked up a pre-publication public draft with recommendations on ways to speed up the adoption of mHealth technologies in the U.S.

The draft, released Monday, says that by 2017, mobile health, wireless health and e-Care solutions — broadly defined as mHealth — will be routinely available as part of best practices for medical care.

"We asked the group how to remove barriers to increase access to this technology, and to come back with concrete recommendations on this acceleration," said Julius Genachowski, chairman of the FCC. Genachowski was responsible for initiating the task force and making mHealth a priority at the FCC.

Genachowski said that since his National Broadband Plan's debut in 2010, the FCC has already moved forward with many recommendations for the health care sector including a partnership with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), dedicated spectrum for Medical Micropower Network, and most recently, spectrum for Medical Body Area Network, or MBAN, devices. Genachowski has focused broadly on increasing access to wired broadband around the country as FCC chairman.

"I see this as an offshoot of the broadband work," said Robert Jarrin, senior director of government affairs at Qualcomm, and one of the mHealth task force co-chairs.

The new report proposes bold national goals to the FCC and other federal agencies, according to Genachowski. These include a recommendation that the FCC continue to play a leadership role in advancing mHealth adoption. Genachowski said they are taking steps to find an FCC health care director as part of that goal. Other directives for the FCC include: Updating the Rural Health Care Program this calendar year to expand broadband access to underserved areas; creating and implementing a wireless test bed to promote the testing of mHealth devices; and continuing to work with the FDA, the agency tasked with approving medical devices, to accelerate an ongoing collaboration to provide regulatory clarity on overlapping issues.

The report also serves to speed mobile and wireless health technologies to market.

"Only through innovative products will the U.S. be able to lead in 21st century," says Genachowski.

More Industry Headlines